Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro may have subtly indicated his future intentions as speculation grows over whether he will continue leading the Soweto giants beyond his current contract, which expires in June.
Since joining Pirates in 2022, the Spanish tactician has secured five trophies, earning the admiration of the club's faithful.
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However, with only a few months remaining on his three-year deal, uncertainty looms over whether he will sign an extension.
Neither Riveiro nor the club have provided official confirmation regarding his future. However, his recent comments following the Buccaneers' crucial 2-1 victory over Mamelodi Sundowns suggest he may already be thinking about next season's title pursuit.
Speaking after the match, Riveiro acknowledged the importance of reducing the gap between his team and the reigning champions while also emphasizing the long-term challenge of competing at the highest level.
Most notably, he implied that even if the team falls short this season, they will regroup and push again in the next campaign – a strong indication that he envisions himself at the helm beyond June.
The league title remains the only major domestic honour that has eluded Riveiro during his tenure, and he has previously expressed his ambition to secure it.
His comments suggest a determination to build on the progress made so far and continue striving for success with Pirates.
While no formal announcement has been made regarding a contract extension, Riveiro's mindset and commitment to future challenges strongly hint that he may be prepared to lead the Buccaneers into the next season.
Whether the club's management will secure his services for another term remains to be seen, but his words provide a glimmer of hope for fans eager to see him stay.
"I said before the match (that) it's three points, but these types of games – people used to say it's six pointer games – because obviously when we play, we play (and whether) we get the result or not, you go to the locker room, you take your phone, you check and you want to see that the teams that you are chasing didn't get the result. Today we know that we got the result immediately, and we know that the team that we are chasing didn't get the result, so it's an opportunity to reduce the distance, but again, still a long way to go, and again we were playing against a team that is used to collect a lot of points and I'm sure it's going to be a tight race if we are at the level that the challenge is asking, and that's what we need to prove from now until the end that we are at the level that the challenge is asking to each and every team in the league and we want to be that," said Riveiro, speaking to journalists after the match at FNB Stadium on Sunday.
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"Let's see if we are capable to do it, and if in the end of the season we are not, what are we going to do? We go again and that's sport, that's football, that's life and we are there. We are trying every week to do the job and I'm so happy that again today we proved that we are a very serious team," the coach hinted.
